Supporting stand storage device



June 6, 1967 P. MSSEN ET AL 3,323,767

SUPPORTING STAND STORAGE DEVICE Filed June 7, 1965 II V /2 7 l2 r 20 FIG I l 26 I I I 1 I I i l 25 i 28 i L11, I

FIG 2 INVENTORS GEORGE P NISSEN EMIL C. STUCKENSCHNEIDER BY HARLAN KELLY AT TORNE Y United States Patent 3,323,767 SUPPORTING STAND STORAGE DEVICE George P. Nissen, Emil C. Stuckenschneider, and Harlan J. Kelly, all of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assignors to Nissen Corporation, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed June 7, 1965, Ser. No. 461,851 6 Claims. (Cl. 248-165) This invention relates to a supporting stand storage device and more particularly relates to a storage device for use with supporting stands for rebound tumbling apparatus, the device being used to join two supporting stands thereby enabling them to stand alone when not in use.

Rebound tumbling apparatus, which consist basically of a frame that supports a resilient tumbling surface or bed, are generally made so as to be portable with the frame in sections that can be folded together with the supporting leg members into a compact unit for storage. Since such apparatus are relatively heavy and quite large, the portable apparatus is stored by securing it to two supporting stands, each of which is mounted on caster wheels to permit the entire unit to be easily moved from place to place. When the apparatus is to be set up, the supporting stands must be removed and stored. Because they are mounted on caster wheels, the stands will not remain upright without support, and if merely leaned against a wall, for example, may fall and cause damage to the gymnasium floor. In addition, careless storage of the stands may contribute to accidents when gymnasts inadvertently stumble over them. Therefore, in order to improve the convenience of storage of the supporting stands, we have designed a simple device for connecting together the two supporting stands thereby improving their stability and enabling them to be conveniently stored in an upright position.

It is therefore the principal object of the invention to provide a storage device for roller stands of the above described character which permits the stands to be conveniently stored in an upright position.

It is another object of the invention to provide a storage device for roller stands which is extremely simple and inexpensive and which can be itself conveniently stored on the rebound tumbling apparatus when the stands are being used to support and store said apparatus.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a storage device for rebound tumbling apparatus roller stands which provides for the storage of said stands in an upright position and thereby greatly minimizes the possibility of the stands falling over and causing damage to a gymnasium fioor or contributing to accidents which result from careless and improper storage of the roller stands.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the description being made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of supporting stands combined with the storage device of the invention thereby enabling the stands to independently stand upright; and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device which is shown disconnected from the supporting stands.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention is shown for purposes of illustration as utilized in combination with supporting stands of the type disclosed in G. P. Nissen US. Patent No. 3,116,809, issued Jan. 7, 1964, and entitled, Supporting Stand for Rebound Tumbling Apparatus. Reference is hereby made to this patent for a complete and detailed description of the supporting roller stands and the manner in which they are used for storing rebound tumbling apparatus. Briefly, each of the support- Patented J une 6, l 957 ice ing stands 10 is of an inverted T-shape and includes an upright member or post 12 joined at its lower end to a cross member or base 14. Each base 14 adjacent its ends is preferably mounted on a pair of caster wheels 16 which swivel about vertical axes. At the top of the upright post 12 of each stand 10 is a cylindrical shaped projection 18 which extends horizontally to post 12 and transversely of base 14. A stop member 20 can also be provided on the upright post 12 of each stand 10, the purpose and further details of the stop member 20 being more fully described in US. Patent No. 3,116,809, referred to above.

Obviously, each individual stand 10 is incapable of remaining upright independently of some outside support. Of course, the stands 10 can be hung on gymnasium stall bars in the manner described in the prior patent referred to above. However, since many gynmasiums and other athletic arenas are not equipped With stall bars, the stands must either be leaned against a wall or other support or laid down on the floor. Because of the swivel caster wheels 16, it frequently happens that the stand will roll away from the wall and cause damage to the floor and perhaps to the stand itself. The stands also constitute a hazard if left lying on the floor and might contribute to injuries to performers who are concentrating on their athletic activities.

Since two stands 10 are necessary to support and store each rebound tumbling apparatus, we have provided a device 22 which can be combined with a pair of stands to solve the storage problem. Each device or connector 22 consists of a tubular member 24 the interior diameter of which is substantially the same as the outside diameter of the projections 18 on the stands 10. The tubular member 24 should be sufiiciently long to separate the stands 10 an amount suflicient to give stability to a pair of them when joined together by the connector 22, but the length should be no greater than necessary in order to make the unit compact. Over each end of the tubular member 24 there is stretched the major portion of a flexible sleeve 26 made of a suitable elastomeric material. Each sleeve 26 is permanently secured to an end of the tubular member 24 by the use of suitable adhesive or other means. Each sleeve 26 extends beyond the end of the tubular member 24 and in its normal unstretched condition presents an opening 28 the diameter of which is somewhat less than the exterior diameter of the projections 18 on the stands 10.

In use, the projection 18 on each stand 10 is inserted inside one of the openings 28 and pushed on in until the ends of the projections 18 are well within the tubular member 24. When two stands 10 are thus joined by the connector 22, the sleeves 26 will grip the projections 18 and prevent separation of the stands 10. Because of the construction, a slight suction will be created on the projections 18 by the sleeves 26, and this will assist in holding the stands 10 together. In addition, the sleeves 26 prevent the hand or fingers being pinched between the projections 18 and the tubular member 24 upon joining of the stands 10 to the latter. When so joined, a pair of stands 10 will stand upright independently of exterior support and can be easily rolled to an out-of-the-way place. When it is desired to use the stands 10 for storage of the rebound tumbling apparatus, the stands 10 are easily separated from the connector 22 by exerting a slight force to separate the stands from the connector. When not being used to join a pair of stands 10, the connector 22 can be fitted on one of the end rail braces of the rebound tumbling apparatus and thus be stored along with the apparatus yet readily available for use when the stands are removed from the apparatus. The sleeves 26 also act as bumpers and protect persons or the gymnasium floor against injury from the sharp ends of tubular member 24 should a connector 22 be accidentally dropped.

It is obvious that we have provided an extremely simple and very useful and practical device which will mini-'" mize damage by reason of falling stands and minimize accidents and injuries that might occur when performers stumble over carelessly placed roller stands. It is obvious that various modifications can be made in the device without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is our intention, however, that any such modifications are to be included within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In combination with a pair of supporting stands each incapable of self-support in an upright position and each having a projection extending substantially horizontally from the stand when said stand is in an upright position, a storage device for interconnecting said stands to provide for their independent support, said device comprising a rigid connecting member joining said stand projections to opposite ends ofsaid member, and a flexible gripping member at each of said ends to releasably secure said member to each of said projections, said connecting member having 'a length effective when connected to said stands to enable said stands to remain upright without other support.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which each of said flexible members is provided with an opening therein receiving the corresponding projection on said stand.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which said flexible member comprises an open ended sleeve formed of an elastomeric material, the open end of said sleeve being smaller than the exterior configuration of said projection so that said sleeve must be stretched to receive said projection in said sleeve opening.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which said connecting member is a hollow tubular member having open opposite ends and receiving the projections of said stands therein, the other end of each of said sleeves being open and fitted over an end of said connecting member, a portion of said sleeve extending beyond the end of said connecting member to provide for gripping of the projection on one of said stands. 7

5. A removable connecting device for use in joining together two stands or the like each of which is incapable of self-support, said device comprising a rigid central member effective to join a portion of each stand thereto at opposite ends of said member, and elastomeric grippers at each end of said member for releasably securing the respective ends of said member to said stand portions.

6. The connecting device of claim 5 in which said central member is an open ended tubular member, and said flexible grippers are sleeve-like members fitted over and extending beyond the ends of said central member, the openings in the ends of said sleeves beyond said central member being smaller than the openings in the ends of said central member.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 1,085,726 10/1953 France. 1,178,652 12/1958 France.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Examiner.

I. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A PAIR OF SUPPORTING STRANDS EACH INCAPABLE OF SELF-SUPPORT IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION AND EACH HAVING A PROJECTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY FROM THE STAND WHEN SAID STAND IS IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION, A STORAGE DEVICE FOR INTERCONNECTING SAID STANDS TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR INDEPENDENT SUPPORT, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A RIGID CONNECTING MEMBER JOINING SAID STAND PROJECTIONS TO OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID MEMBER, AND A FLEXIBLE GRIPPING MEMBER AT EACH OF SAID ENDS TO RELEEASABLY SECURE SAID MEMBER TO EACH OF SAID PROJECTIONS, SAID CONNECTING MEMBER HAVING A LENGTH EFFECTIVE WHEN CONNECTED TO SAID STANDS TO ENABLE SAID STANDS TO REMAIN UPRIGHT WITHOUT OTHER SUPPORT. 